Deployed Cherry Point pilot sends special wedding message from cockpit

In this still image taken from a video, Marine Corps Capt. Matthew Krivohlavy, of VMA-231 at Cherry Point, sends a wedding message to his brother in Texas from the cockpit of his AV-8B Harrier while flying over Afghanistan.

By Drew C. Wilson/Havelock News

Published: Wednesday, April 10, 2013 at 05:45 PM.

Marine Corps Capt. Matthew Krivohlavy may have been tens of thousands of miles away, flying missions in Afghanistan. But that didn’t keep him from sending a special message to his brother, who was getting married in Texas.

And what a special message it was.

Krivohlavy, an AV-8B Harrier pilot from Cherry Point, recorded a video message from the cockpit of his jet as he flew high above the sandy terrain of Afghanistan and sent it to his brother Brandon so it could be shown at his wedding reception.

“We were completely caught off guard,” said Brandon Krivohlavy, who was married April 6. “He mentioned that he was sending something to us for our wedding, and I couldn’t imagine what he could possibly send us from Afghanistan. I was thinking maybe a bottle of sand, sorta like a souvenir or something, but as soon as we saw that video, tears from my entire family just started pouring out. Tears of joy, of course. It was a very touching experience for everyone.”

He posted the video online and it has received hundreds of thousands of views, going viral as well as getting picked up by national news organizations.

The video, about 2 1/2 minutes long, features the pilot in the cockpit with hand-written cards to Brandon Krivohlavy and his new bride, Mandy Takacs. Matthew Krivohlavy reads the cards as he goes along.

“Brandon and Mandy, I can’t begin to tell you how excited I am for the both of you,” he said. “This is a day that you will remember for the rest of your lives. And I wish I could be there to share it with you.”

Marine Corps Capt. Matthew Krivohlavy may have been tens of thousands of miles away, flying missions in Afghanistan. But that didn’t keep him from sending a special message to his brother, who was getting married in Texas.

And what a special message it was.

Krivohlavy, an AV-8B Harrier pilot from Cherry Point, recorded a video message from the cockpit of his jet as he flew high above the sandy terrain of Afghanistan and sent it to his brother Brandon so it could be shown at his wedding reception.

“We were completely caught off guard,” said Brandon Krivohlavy, who was married April 6. “He mentioned that he was sending something to us for our wedding, and I couldn’t imagine what he could possibly send us from Afghanistan. I was thinking maybe a bottle of sand, sorta like a souvenir or something, but as soon as we saw that video, tears from my entire family just started pouring out. Tears of joy, of course. It was a very touching experience for everyone.”

He posted the video online and it has received hundreds of thousands of views, going viral as well as getting picked up by national news organizations.

The video, about 2 1/2 minutes long, features the pilot in the cockpit with hand-written cards to Brandon Krivohlavy and his new bride, Mandy Takacs. Matthew Krivohlavy reads the cards as he goes along.

“Brandon and Mandy, I can’t begin to tell you how excited I am for the both of you,” he said. “This is a day that you will remember for the rest of your lives. And I wish I could be there to share it with you.”

The pilot with Marine Attack Squadron 231 continues to flip the cards and read.

“Mandy, you are beautiful and exceptionally sweet. You are a perfect match for my brother,” the 33-year-old pilot said with his face partially hidden behind a facemask.

“Boy-O, I wish I had a horribly embarrassing story to tell about you (as payback). But I don’t.

“What I really want to say is how great of a brother you are. As kids, there were times when we wanted to kill each other. But as we both matured, we began to realize how alike we really are. It pains me that we live so far away and hardly see each other, but after visiting Austin and meeting Mandy I completely understand! The two of you have a very exciting future ahead and I wish you both the very best.”

The captain wraps up the video by reminding the couple that marriage is a journey.

“There will be ups and downs, so make the best of it. And … GO NUTS TOGETHER!”

With that, the pilot flips his visor down and does a slow roll in the jet and concludes with a wave saying “Love you both, congratulations.”

Brandon Krivohlavy, 30, said Wednesday that his brother had asked him to temporarily take the video down, but with hundreds of thousands of views as well as multiple reposts across the Internet, that may be tough to do. All the attention may have just been a bit too much for military officials in Afghanistan, Brandon said.

“It’s sad,” he said, “because the message behind it was very meaningful.”

Matthew Krivohlavy could not be reached in Afghanistan through the Cherry Point Public Affairs Office as of press time.